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Grey's Anatomy Review: Unanswered Fates

I need a few minutes to catch my breath after what can be remembered as one of the most emotional and gory finales in Grey’s Anatomy history.

We were warned. We knew this episode was going to be rough. Someone was going to die. The only problem? Knowing it’s going to happen doesn’t make it any easier. So let’s get to it for the last time this season. Put down those tissues, time to discuss “Flight."

At Seattle Grace Mercy West Death. Back at the hospital, Webber prepared to take the residents to his annual dinner to celebrate. Ben and Bailey decided to get married and Callie was waiting for her wife to come home. Alex made the decision to go to Hopkins because he needs to know he is good without Arizona holding his hand.

Teddy was offered an incredible opportunity as the chief of Medcom. She didn’t want to take it because she can’t leave Owen in the state he is in. Talk about loyalty. Just a few episodes ago, these two weren’t even talking. This just shows how strong of a friendship Owen and Teddy share. Of course, Owen recognized what Teddy was doing and fired her so she would have to take the job.

How sad of a scene was it to watch Webber, April, Jackson and Alex wait for Meredith and Cristina. Little do they know...

And Then There Were Five. Leading into this episode, I had constantly checked the comments on for the Grey’s Anatomy previewsto see who the fans thought were going to die. Top of the list on the death poll? Arizona and April. In reality? Lexie Grey.

RIP Little Grey. In an extremely sad farewell (and in the first 20 minutes!) Lexie Grey died. What an emotional scene! Mark held her hand and confessed his love for her and that they were meant to be. The acting in this scene was incredible. Kudos to Eric Dane for his stellar performance.

So what is the fallout of losing Little Grey? Meredith has now lost another family member, Mark has lost the love of his life and Derek has lost his little sis. I’m not sure how you come back from this.

I have to be honest, I was pretty surprised it was Lexie. I knew there was a chance, but I really didn’t expect it. Will this lead to Meredith back to a dark and twisty place? The one positive to losing Lexie was that it led to a sweet exchange between her and the man she loved.

“I’ve always been in love with you. I’ll always be in love with you."

Heartbreaking.

Damaged Goods. Lexie wasn’t the only one with injuries. Mark needed a make shift surgery, Cristina’s shoulder was out of place, Meredith had a piece of plane in her leg and Derek’s hand is most definitely broken. The most gory? Arizona’s bone peaking out of her leg.

So Where Does This Leave Us? Shonda had made it clear that at the time of filming, no contracts had been signed. This means the fate of all of our favorite docs are up in the air. So what can we expect next season?

Derek’s hand. Will he be able to operate? Will Mark make it until they are found? Cristina is sure she wants to leave Seattle. Jackson chose Tulane. April and Teddy do not have jobs at Seattle anymore. Alex is headed to Hopkins.

Finale Standards? If there is one thing that Grey’s Anatomy does right, it is finales. They are always intense and always emotional. Season eight was a bit of a challenge. Because of not knowing if the actors would be returning, we were left with an open ending. It worked and it didn’t. It felt a bit like the writers were jumping back and forth to hit each story to make sure us viewers know their fates are questionable.

It’s a big cast and it’s hard to coordinate. It would have worked better if SGH was just shown in the beginning and the end; Richard and the other residents waiting at dinner and Owen firing Teddy. Other than that, another great ending to a solid season.

Some After Thoughts

I loved the flashback to the pilot episode in the beginning and the voice over at the end mimicking Webber’s words. Ah, nostalgia.

How gory was this episode? I had to look away when Arizona showed her bone popping out.

In an emotionally charged episode, the writers still found time to throw in a couple jokes. Thank you for that!

How good is Yang in a crisis? PS. How funny was she with her shoe?

How long until Owen saves them?

So what did you think, TV Fanatics? Was the finale everything you hoped for or did it fall short in comparison to the other season endings? Will everyone else survive the plane crash? Who will return to our beloved TV screen next season? Were you surprised that it was Lexie?

It’s time to say goodbye until next season. Check out the Grey’s Anatomy quotes for the best lines from the hour and make sure to check back for the Grey’s Anatomy Round Table. Hit the comments and let us know what you thought of “Flight” and the death of Lexie Grey. Chyler Leigh, you will most definitely be missed.

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Scotty•May 19, 2012 15:57

Ahhh a character limit...! Anyway, where was I... April will take the now vacant Resident slot that Lexie leaves and I expect Avery to stay out of love for April and loyalty to a heartbroken Mark. If Alex is staying then I fear for the health of Arizona, however I somehow can't see Arizona dying - that would just be a bit too much. As for MerDer, it'll be interesting to see how they recover without moving. The one real unknown will be where Series 9 picks up. I hope it picks up from where it left off, as that allows for some fantastic story arcs (reaction to the crash, rescue, treatment, mourning, recovery, coming to terms, etc) and I hope they don't skip a few weeks / months as they have done before, as that would be missing a trick.

Scotty•May 19, 2012 15:50

Disappointed. I really did feel very flat after the finale! Not so much in the storyline, but in the technicalities! I mean how can a plane crash and be missing for 2 days and nobody a) apparently notice, and b)be able to find it? How could anyone survive a high speed crash into dense solid woodland with no clearings? How could such a crash be apparently invisible to the helicopter? Why did the aviation fuel not catch fire? As for the "fire," why on earth did nobody collect firewood?! As for the story, well it was clear from the trailers that Lexie was toast. Its a shame, I liked Lexie! I wasn't expecting Teddy to be fired though - that came out of left field! However it leaves the space open for Christina as Cardio attending. (Those who are asking about who she will learn from are forgetting that she is now an attending, with offers of research labs, and she had already outgrown Teddy. Christina is now the master!). April will take the now vacant Resident slot that Lexie leaves, and Avery will stay through love / loyalty to her and a heartbroken Mark... Alex - hmm. I fear for Arizona if Alex is to stay! MerDer - well we know they aren't going, but it'll be interesting to see how that story pans out! What will be interesting next season though is where they pick it up! I'd hope they'd pick up from where they left off, as that will be a massive story arc (reactions, rescue, mourning, recovery, etc) and hope they don't choose to pick up a few months later, as that would be missing a trick!

FavLexie•May 19, 2012 15:18

BRING HER BACK!!!i hope they realise they lost a great deal of fans after the last episode??????????????????Everybody liked Lexie!!!!And for a lot of people including me she was the favorite character!!!!She had a story going on and o great love with Mark.for me it is the best couple in all tvshows!!!I wish Shonda regrets this and bring her back!!!i already miss her....She is a great actres and Lexies caracter was the best!!!!!i will see the premiere and if Lexie is gone(witch i think is 90% true)i ll quit the show.....it disapointed me this year and the only reason i was watching it was Lexie+Mark....Shonda promised a good ending between them and she gives us this????no tnx......

angie•May 19, 2012 15:14

i hate you shonda

chandra•May 19, 2012 14:12

During the last show were the chimes anything leading to someithing in the show? Death? Dream? It occured several times?

Sylvia•May 19, 2012 13:25

What an incredible last episode. I know most fans are angry with Shonda Rimes but I think it was still a brilliant episode - even though I blubbed through most of it. Can't wait for next season, hope MerDer (my favorites) are okay and they can have their own baby and that no one else DIES, especially Mark. R.I.P. Lexie.

Lillyflower•May 19, 2012 11:27

@K120 Yeah right? And we haven't heard Chyler say anything about it yet, we can all just assume that she wanted to leave because of her family but until I hear her say it herself I'm not believing it. Maybe she didn't really die and it's a dream or she passed out. And maybe Shonda told us that Chyler was leaving and not coming back to throw us off. I mean she can't make us think she killed off a character then say " It was so hard to make the decision to kill Lexie, but don't worry Chyler will be back next season." LOL. So maybe there's hope? Less than a year ago Chyler said she wasn't going anywhere, she said that if Ellen didn't stay she would gladly take her place. Did she really change her mind from saying she would be the head of the show to not wanting to be on it at all so quickly? I don't know I'll keep hoping, I don't want her to die, she was the only reason I watched GA.

K120•May 19, 2012 11:06

Still hoping it's a dream, lol. Maybe Shonda and Chyler will realize how much the fans will miss her and Chyler will decide to come back.... I'm hoping it will be a dream or she just passed out or something. I know its unrealistic, but a bomb, a flood, a shooting, cancer, getting hit by buses and now a plane crash( and I think I forgot a few lol)all happening to a small group of people is already pretty unrealistic to me. So it being a dream or Lexie waking up and surviving by some wonderful miracle wouldn't be the most silliest thing to happen in Grey's Anatomy history, it is t.v afterall.

Dylan•May 19, 2012 09:08

There may be some that disagree with me, but I hope to see the series continue for many, many more seasons. Grey's has come an INCREDIBLY long way since the first episode, and I don't see its success dwindling in the future. The series may need some big changes to keep it new and exciting, and I think that perhaps Shonda thought it was best to let Lexie's increasingly stagnant character leave the series. Whatever the reason, I trust Shonda's judgment. Maybe I'm just too emotionally attached to the series, but I'd find it hard to imagine a life without Grey's.